


Usually you learn the important thing about your boyfriend by talking, but other times you end up yanking their priceless necklace off and break it, which sometimes is just as effective

by aroseandapen



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mermaid, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Attempted Kidnapping, Fan Characters, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Suggestive Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:47:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25448593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aroseandapen/pseuds/aroseandapen
Summary: Werewolf Jaden and Mermaid Kurochi, learning secrets about each other and in general being in love.
Relationships: OC/OC
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

Jaden slipped a hand beneath the pendant, pulling away from Kurochi’s chest so that he could get a better look at it. It was an intricate design with bronze-colored stone sculpted to look as if the ‘strands’ were woven into a cage around a glittering ruby. Normally Kurochi didn’t like it being messed with, which was fair enough. It had some deep sentimental meaning, Kurochi had told him early on in their relationship, and his mother had given it to him when he was young. His brother had a similar one, too, and Jaden could understand why the corded necklaces were so important to both the twins.

Kurochi had told him that he could touch it now, though, sitting in his lap as Jaden ran his hands up along his sides. He’d accidentally brushed the pendant and yanked them away, beginning to sign out a quick apology before Kurochi grabbed his hands to stop him. Smiling reassuringly at Jaden, he’d brought his hands back to his chest, letting them press to the pendant.

“You can go ahead,” he whispered, with a tone that suggested something far more intimate than Jaden just touching a necklace. “I know you won’t break it, or damage it, or anything like that.”

And Jaden had nodded, blushing from how low Kurochi’s voice had gotten.

He let the pendant fall back against Kurochi’s chest now, signing to him, “It’s really pretty. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

Kurochi grinned. “Well I hope not. It’s one of a kind. Well…” he corrected himself, tilting his head to the side. “Two of a kind, if you include Kokichi’s. Now…”

Once again, Kurochi took his hands. This time he guided them to his waist, and then leaned forward until their chests pressed together and their lips barely brushed.

“Please… Kiss me… touch me…” Kurochi closed the tiny distance between their lips in an open-mouthed kiss, making Jaden’s toes curl with the heat that pooled in his gut. He broke off much too soon, meeting Jaden’s eyes with a half-lidded gaze. “I really want you, Jaden.”

He responded by pulling Kurochi back in for another heated kiss.

* * *

It’d been a mistake.

Jaden lay there with Kurochi snug against his chest, only half-awake while he enjoyed the glowing love he had for the other. He idly traced his fingers over Kurochi’s back, making the other sigh in his sleep and cuddle closer. Part of him didn’t want the night to end just yet, so he fought against the desire to fall asleep. For now, anyway.

He was vaguely aware of an itching along his arms. His teeth. It made him just uncomfortable enough to squirm, trying hard not to disturb the sleeping boy in his arms.

Then realization struck him over the head like a brick.

The moon! He hadn’t paid attention to the cycle at all, and dread grew in his gut when he realized that the itching he felt was the beginnings of his transformation. His hair was beginning to grow, and would soon cover his limbs. And with elongated teeth and his body changed so that he looked more like a bipedal wolf than human, he’d look like a monster lying in bed with Kurochi here.

Jaden couldn’t get out of bed fast enough. At first he tried to move carefully, extracting himself from Kurochi’s arms wound around his waist. The bed dipped under his shifting weight, and the movements stirred Kurochi before Jaden could fully pull himself away.

Kurochi groaned, eyelids cracking open. “Jaden? Where–?”

He didn’t hear the rest of Kurochi’s question. Panic lanced through him and he yanked himself away. He desperately needed to get out of view before Kurochi saw him. Even though his now fast, sharp movements startled Kurochi awake.

“Wha–?” Kurochi began to sit up, blinking his eyes wide. One look at him, however, and he let out a strangled yelp, jerking back away. Jaden’s wrist was caught around his necklace, however, and he made a choking sound as Jaden yanked back as well.

Then the cord snapped. The pendant went flying somewhere across the room as Jaden clambered out of bed. Kurochi went tumbling backwards, and disappeared over the edge of the mattress with a loud thump as he hit the floor.

Concern broke through his panic. He crawled back onto the bed, hurrying to the other side to check and make sure that the other was alright.

He met Kurochi’s purple eyes, as he stared up into Jaden’s now-glowing yellow ones.

“Ja- _Jaden_?” He didn’t know how Kurochi recognized him in that form, but Jaden nodded numbly in response to Kurochi’s shocked stare.

Jaden had meant to run the moment he made sure that Kurochi was alright, but after getting a good look at him, all those thoughts flew from his mind. Kurochi’s skin had changed, somehow even paler than before, with scales that appeared in patches on his shoulders and chest. And then, at his waist, his legs had vanished, and instead a long finned tail lay slumped up against the side of the bed. The fins at the end twitched.

And _gills_. When the hell did Kurochi have _gills_?

“You’re a _werewolf_?”

Kurochi’s voice pulled him out of his own shock. Jaden shook his head to clear it, and then answered before the head motion could confuse the other.

“I… am.” He signed slowly, hesitant to tell of the secret that he’d spent so much of his life hiding. But as his eyes swept along the length of Kurochi’s tail, he couldn’t see why he would keep it secret now, since apparently his boyfriend was a _mermaid_. “And you’re…?”

Kurochi covered the fins that grew out of the sides of his head with both hands, as if that would somehow disguise the fact that he’d transformed into a fish person in front of his eyes. “I–. I meant to tell you at some point,” he squeaked out.

“Guess we both had things we were hiding.”

When Jaden’s hands stilled again, there was a long silence between them. Jaden couldn’t believe it. He was staring at a mermaid. Or merman. Or whatever, did it matter? Mermaids weren’t even supposed to be real. But _werewolves_ were real, so he shouldn’t be so surprised.

And yet he was. He was _very_ surprised.

Kurochi gagged, once more dragging Jaden out of his thoughts. He shivered against the floor. “Jay… I need… agh this feels bad, I need water, Jaden.”

Oh.

Jaden jumped into action. He hopped off the bed, bending down to scoop Kurochi up into his arms. Kurochi was as light as ever, but the tail made it difficult to hold him. Minding his own claws–he didn’t want to snag Kurochi and injure him–he carried Kurochi into the bathroom and laid him down in the bathtub.

Kurochi turned the water on and sighed in relief. He slumped against the side of the tub, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the water on his fins. Jaden couldn’t do anything but watch him. Such foreign features, and yet Kurochi was no less as gorgeous as always. He swallowed, and his heart skipped a beat when Kurochi opened his eyes again to meet his.

“Can you find my pendant for me? It… lets me keep a human form, and I don’t dry out so much without it.” Kurochi touched his neck, as if feeling for the cord that was always around it. “I’m gonna need a new thing to put it on.”

Jaden nodded and stood, signing, “I’m sorry, I kind of panicked and broke the necklace.”

“It’s ok. It’s a sturdy thing. The pendant won’t shatter.” Kurochi smiled softly at him. “On the bright side… well I guess we don’t have to hide from each other anymore. It’s sort of all out in the open.” Then he pressed a hand to his chest. “Though that was kind of scary, waking up to big glowing eyes and sharp teeth.”

Jaden began to apologize again, but Kurochi cut him off.

“Really, though, don’t worry about it. It’s fine. And it doesn’t change the fact that I love you, alright? This… form and all. Just don’t eat me or anything and it’s good.”

“Of course I won’t!” Jaden gave him an indignant look.

Kurochi grinned. “I’m only kidding. I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Jaden softened and returned his smile, before he left the bathroom to search for the pendant that had gone flying. It’d been quite a scare, but Kurochi did have at least one thing right about it. Now he didn’t have to hide his identity from him. It would make each moon cycle so much easier for him.

And Kurochi accepted that about him. Mermaid or not, that still touched him, and he found himself unable to stop smiling as he continued his search for that pendant.


	2. Where he saves him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything is good, until Jaden and Kurochi receive a harsh reminder of why their identities are kept a secret.

Kurochi looked soft under the dim lighting of the cafe, even more so when he giggled at an exaggerated look Jaden gave him. His smile pulled at his lips and crinkled the corners of his eyes–lips that he knew were soft and sweet from experience, and eyes that were warm and alive with mirth now. He reached across the table, resting a hand over one of Kurochi’s.

It made Kurochi’s smile turn shy, and he threaded their fingers together. They remained like that for a while, barely able to look away from each other. Jaden was caught, enchanted by those vibrant purple eyes.

If only things could remain like that forever.

Jaden wanted to pull Kurochi into a private corner and kiss him until they were both flushed and breathless. He wanted to kiss every inch of his skin, and then again when Kurochi took off his pendant. Scales weren’t kind on the lips, but he knew that the space at the base of Kurochi’s fins were sensitive. Kurochi was loud in his appreciation of some of the things Jaden did to him.

He blushed at his own thoughts, flustered as they crept down less innocent paths. Kurochi didn’t seem to notice, too busy glancing out the window of the cafe, his grip on Jaden’s hand loosening somewhat.

“We should go soon. It’s getting pretty dark out,” he said, returning his gaze to Jaden, who’d just barely managed to compose himself in time.

Jaden nodded. They stood together, hand-and-hand, and left the warmth of the cafe out to the cool night air. It was unusually dark out, the moon absent from the sky. It’d been the best time to go out on a date, with little chance for the moon to mess with Jaden’s appearance. He couldn’t afford to get caught outside when that happened; it’d be dangerous for them both.

As they made the walk back home, Kurochi suddenly shivered, leaning closer to Jaden.

“Are you cold?” Jaden signed to him. Kurochi was small, and it wouldn’t be surprising for him to get too cold out on a night like this. He wished he brought a jacket to offer him.

But Kurochi shook his head, glancing over his shoulder. Jaden did the same automatically, mirroring him. No one there, aside from the few people still out on the streets around that area.

“I’m not cold I just feel…” Kurochi trailed off, searching for the words he wanted. Then he shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe we should just hurry and get home.”

Jaden agreed with that, if only because Kurochi’s uneasiness was rubbing off on him. Kurochi’s free hand played with the pendant hanging around his neck, a thin chain replacing the cord that Jaden had snapped off a while back. The pendant kept Kurochi in a human form; without it his legs would turn into a mermaid’s tail and then Jaden would have a hopeless time trying to get him home.

He’d rather the chain be a little thicker, less easy to break, but Kurochi was resistant to the idea. Apparently he feared getting it caught on something, choking to death unable to get free. Jaden couldn’t convince him otherwise, so a thinner chain it was.

They just needed to take care in not yanking on it, which had never been a problem before. Yet Jaden worried all the same. If people found out about Kurochi’s secret form…

He didn’t know, but he doubted it’d be good.

Jaden squeezed his hand, trying to reassure him. They were almost home anyway, and then they could just cuddle up together under a blanket until all the worries and fears seemed far away. Kurochi smiled up at him in response, leaning his head against his shoulder.

“Sorry, I’m just kind of being paranoid.”

He shook his head. Jaden didn’t want Kurochi to feel bad for worrying. It was natural to feel that way, outside and at night. He squeezed his hand, hoping to reassure him. Kurochi flashed him a smile in response, but didn’t seem wholly soothed.

“Hey, scuse me.” It wasn’t far from home that a woman stopped them, raising a hand in their direction. “Do you happen to have the time?”

They stopped a short distance away. She didn’t attempt to get any closer, a good move with how tightly Kurochi squeezed Jaden’s hand. It had Jaden feeling uneasy as well, although a woman hanging out on the streets alone at night would feel at least as uncomfortable as they did, and there was two of them.

Kurochi hadn’t moved though, so Jaden pulled his phone out of his pocket. He powered on the screen, turning it so that Kurochi could see it. Kurochi barely glanced over with it, moving only his eyes.

“It’s… uh…”

Movement out of the corner of their eyes. Kurochi jerked his head in the direction of it, making Jaden look too. A car with dark tinted windows had slowed to a stop next to them. The front door on their side cracked open. Dread shot through Jaden’s gut. He didn’t like the timing of this. He quickly stepped back, dragging Kurochi along with them. Time to go, he decided, and without signing a word he whirled around and leapt to run.

Before he made it even two steps, he slammed into someone’s chest. He staggered backward, and just barely righted himself. Kurochi gasped, yanking Jaden to the side, away from the car, away from the stranger he’d just bumped into.

“Oops, careful there, you should look where you’re going.” It was a man speaking, but before he could recognize any identifying features about him, he threw an arm across Jaden’s chest and slammed him into the wall behind him. It knocked the wind from his body in a painful lurch. “The lady asked you what time it was, no need to be rude.”

“Jaden!” Kurochi’s hand slipped away from his; he threw himself at the man holding him instead. “Let _go_ , let–ah!”

The woman grabbed Kurochi by the hair, yanking his head back to drag him away from Jaden and the man pinning him down. Kurochi clawed at her hand, and opened his mouth to scream for help. She clapped her free hand over it, forcing a rag that she now held into his mouth.

“It’ll be so much easier, if you don’t… _fight_!” The woman punctuated her sentence by moving her hand from his mouth and, without giving him an opportunity to spit the cloth out, snapped the chain around his neck.

Jaden’s eyes widened as Kurochi’s legs vanished out from underneath him. The pendant clattered to the ground, and Kurochi slammed down next to it. His tail stretched out behind him, fins dipping into the gutter.

“There, much better to handle.”

Someone got out of the car that had stopped. Kurochi flailed as they and the woman both wrapped arms around him–one around his torso, the other around his tail. It did nothing to stop the both of them, though, other than a slight inconvenience. He’d spat out the rag, beating his fists against their back.

“No! Let go, don’t!”

They were taking Kurochi. They knew what he was and they were *taking him*. Jaden had never wanted to hurt someone before, but he couldn’t lose Kurochi like this.

Adrenaline coursed through him. His heart beat faster, and although it was a new moon his limbs itched with the change. Stronger, senses enhanced. He pulled his upper lip back to reveal his elongated teeth in a snarl, fingernails growing into sharp claws.

Surprise flickered across the man holding him’s face. He hadn’t known what Jaden was.

Jaden raked his claws over the man’s side, trying to force him to let him go. The man yelled out in pain. Then the pressure on his chest was gone, and the man backed away from him.

“Shit, what the hell?!”

He ignored the man after he’d been let go, however. Pushing his feet hard against the pavement, he launched himself at the people holding Kurochi. He bowled them over, with three sets of voices crying out in alarm. Kurochi hit the ground hard again, but he didn’t have time to be gentle. Jaden threw himself over him, tense and prepared to fight the strangers off if they tried to take him again.

They didn’t.

“No one told us we were dealing with a werewolf too!”

“How?! It’s not even a full moon!”

The strangers scrambled into the car, driving off with squealing tires. Only when they vanished from view did Jaden allow himself to arrest one bit. He hurriedly turned his attention to Kurochi, who lay frozen on the ground.

Jaden pressed a hand to his cheek, his claws faded back into regular human nails. As if the comforting touch broke something inside of him, Kurochi’s face scrunched up and tears sprang to his eyes.

“That–. They– they–… oh my god!”

Kurochi broke down into noisy sobs, shaking underneath him. Jaden pulled him into a tight hug, crushing Kurochi to his sore chest.

* * *

They had to contact Glenn to come get them.

Kurochi had been shaking too badly to stand unassisted once they’d managed to tie the pendant around his neck again and returned him to a human form. Jaden would’ve carried him, but the forced transformation had taxed his body so heavily that he needed just as much help just getting into the car when Glenn arrived.

Now that they were home, curled up in bed together, neither of them could let the other go.

Kurochi buried his face in Jaden’s chest, sobbing loudly as Jaden held him. At some point Glenn had come in to check on them, resting a hand on Kurochi’s shoulder. He’d started at the touch, babbling incoherent nonsense that muffled into Jaden’s chest.

Jaden wasn’t much better. He was shaking from both exhaustion and fear, squeezing Kurochi as tightly as he could with his own tears streaming down his face.

Someone had known what Kurochi was, and they’d been willing to kidnap him right off the streets. Jaden almost hadn’t been able to do a damn thing except for the virus that still ran through his body. For the first time in his life, he was glad to be infected.

At the end of the crying was a startling silence. Kurochi had stilled, his body no longer wracked with sobs. Jaden glanced down at him in alarm, worried that something had happened to him.

Nothing had. Kurochi had just fallen asleep.

Jaden curled over him, running his hands up and down Kurochi’s back. They were safe now; Jaden had protected him. Even though it’d worn out his body to do so, he’d managed to transform through his own will to rescue them both from that situation. They both deserved a rest after something like that.

And tomorrow they’d have to tell Kokichi what had happened. If they knew about Kurochi, then they probably knew about him. They had to stay safe.

He’d keep them safe. Both Kurochi and his brother, no matter what.

Jaden drifted off to sleep, his mind filled with the determination to protect the important people in his life from harm. Just before he did, he squeezed Kurochi a little closer, and smiled faintly when Kurochi nuzzled his face against him when he did so.


End file.
